Actor Bob Hoskins Dies At 71

Actor Bob Hoskins, who portrayed Nintendo’s famed plumber in the 1993 big screen Super Mario Bros. film, has passed away at 71 of pneumonia. Hoskins announced retirement from acting in 2012 after diagnosis with Parkinson’s disease.

Despite the Super Mario Bros. movie’s critical panning, Hoskins is cemented in the mind of many gamers as the iconic mascot. His resume is both long and diverse, but returned to family-oriented films more than once.

His roles as Eddie Valiant in Who Framed Roger Rabbit and Mister Smee in Hook (a role he reprised for SyFy’s Neverland) endeared him to children and the young at heart. His more serious parts proved him an actor of many talents and diverse skills.

"We are devastated by the loss of our beloved Bob," the actor's wife Linda and children Alex, Sarah, Rosa and Jack said in a statement. "Bob died peacefully at hospital last night surrounded by family, following a bout of pneumonia.”

Our thoughts are with the Hoskins family and the friends left behind by his passing.